The Dickinson press., 1887-07-23
THE SUICIDAL MANIA,

wv NA&14yAxxo
STATISTICS FROM A PHYSICIAN WHO
LAS STUFFED THE SUBJECT.
Chicago Leads All the Other Large
American Cities in tho Ratio of Sui
cidcs to MISUNDERSTANDING Facts
Concerning Self Murder
A Chicago medical maj who has made
quite n study of suicide, and who has col
lcctcd n large and most interesting mass of
Statistics and speculation on the subject, says
that Chicago leads all large American cities
i'll ratio of suicides to inhabitants. In Chi
cago, during 1856, there were no cases of
self murder, or l in G,350 of the population.
Next to this III this country is New York,
where | in 5000 sought rest from trouble in
was | i'll 5000, i'll Philadelphia l in 12a,50O, in
Baltimore l i'll 10000 and in Brooklyn l in
5000. The large number of suicides in Chi
cago, DIR. DeNNolf thinks, and i'll this agrees
with the other medical man quoted, is due to
the prcNonderance of the foreign population
here, many of whom find themselves lenni-
less and fricnllrss in Il strange country.
HomcsickncSS is no doubt responsible for the
mania which leads numbers of immigrants to
take the fatal step. In foreign cities, says
the student of suicides, self destruction is
much more rife than ia America. In Berlin,
Vienna, Brussels, Munich and Copenhagen
the ratio is twice as high us in Chicago, while
i'll Hamburg l person i'll $500 destroys HIM
self. This is an appalling record, London
makes Il good showing, only l in l0,1o0; while
i'll Glasgow and Edinburgh suicides are rare
indced-1 in 43.,U0O in the former city md l
in $4,000 in the latter.
RATIO OF SUICIDES.
1t is probable that the ratio of suicides is
higher i'll Chicago than i'll any other COM
munity i'll this country. While in this city
one i'll G,3M makes way with himself, in the
whole United States the ratio is hut one in
10000. There can he no doubt that the gam
bling and speculative craze so rife in Chicago
has as much to do with this as the prepondcr-
ancc of foreign population.
Americans are not much given to suicide.
The average Yankee appears to prefer work
ing himself to death OF dying OF dyspepsia.
Only Spain, Russia and Scotland show fewer
cases of self destruction than tie United
States. Tile nunnbero of suicides each year per
l,GO0 inhabitants has been computed with
tolcralplc accuracy, us follows:
Spain ................14 Scandinavia. ........ 81
Russia .............25 Austria. ............. a6
lnltrd states .......3i Germany =. .......143
'tlN.. -, France ............1 oO
England. ........... .aG Switzerland ......... 3j2
Belgium .............Il Denmark. .......... $50
ut is worthy of note" continued the sui
eide statistician, that i'll the last official re-
port of LOCO cases of suicide in the United
States i'll Il single year, 10 are given as oc-
curing i'll Illinois, while i'll New York state,
with nearly double the population, there We're
but l66. How to account for this | do not
know. There are some peculiar facts about
this mania which l do not recollect having
anywhere seen INTEL gently summarized. Tho
largest number of suicides occurs between the
ages of 10 and oO. suppose that just as the
prime OF life is passed ones troubles begin TO
appear darker and darker to him, and the
VIII power and moral stamina grow CORE
slondlnSly weaker August, that dreadful
hot month, is the leading suicidal month,
both i'll this country and Europe, which may
be easily accounted for. In hot weather the
weak md sick and melanrholic are at the
lowest cbb, physically and spiritually, re
freshing sleep is not easily had, md the result
is an epidemic of self destruction. In Europe
the smallest number of suicides occurs i'll De
cember, while the minimum is reached il
America i'll January or February.
MOST FRUITFUL CAUSE.
"The most fruitful cause Of suicide. In
sanity. This, however, is in many cases III
unsatisfactory definition. 1t is the fashion t,
attribute self destruction to temporary in
sanity or alteration, when other cause
would he more appropriate. As IL matter o
fact nine out of ten cases would, with IL
great stretch of the proprietics, be attributes
to mental downfall. But taking the staff.
tics rs We find them we nave about one
fourth of the total number of suicides, or 40
out of Il total Of LOGO, set down as the rcsuI
of insanity. Next comes family trouble!
with half as many t2l9, and business trol
bles, with onc-fourth us many Q15), and Low
troubles rather more than business emba,
easements, or 124. Under these four specif
heads we find more than one-half the case
or nearly 800 i'll all. Dissipation is fifth, wit
ST; sickness sixth, with G; destitute
seventh, with 30; undergoing or threatene
with punishment eighth, with 80; grit
ninth, with Al, and chagrin at parental iii
cipline tenth, with %.
GAS l said before, however, not much rel
ance can be placed on this classification
!, causes. Often the true cause is not know,
or Is concealed ny the deceaSeuS relatives III
friends. l venture the assertion, based upc
$ careful study Of the reports of suicides, new
paper and statistical, during the last tt
years, that three-fourths Of the suicides
this country are caused, directly or int
u rectly, by drink and gambling. Drink hrin
o III physical ailments, restitution, grief, mo
LITIGATION, family trouble, love trouble, i
t sanity, alteration, mental and moral wea
ness, and the whole catalogue of suicide caust
v Gambling is often the outgrowth of drink,
$ are other forms of dissipation sure to end
t disgrace and sometimcsi III death 10y ones ov
II hand. Religious morbilnrss is another frui
f full cause of self destruction which does II
e show Us conspicuously as it ought i'll the i
j. ports. l think that more than one-half
O the persons who take their own lives are S
i cretly morbid concerning the problem of
future life. "-Chicago Herald.